the_lawless (the_lawless) wrote in the_colony, @ 2011-02-23 19:37:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 34, alice munroe, leo parker, | alice and leo, ~ series: traders |
Week 34 : Sunday
Characters: Leo Parker, Evie, and Alice Munroe.
Location: The farmstead
Summary: Leo and Evie catch up. Alice isn’t too fond of the idea.
Rating: R for language and content
Despite the sudden relapse of cold weather, their was still much work to be done. So much of the labor had to be finished before the Traders continued North or the Colonists would find themselves at a loss. So far the two groups managed to work together like a machine and while everyone seemed to be enjoying the mix of company, Leo still savored his alone time. The sun had been up for barely thirty minutes when the man stationed himself out at the site of the guard tower.
He prepared for the task, pulling on his gloves and hat, stacking lumber, and picking out the rusted nails from the bucket at his feet. He’d wait to start hammering or any other loud business until the majority of the farmstead was stirring, not wanting to be the jerk to wake everyone up at the crack of dawn. Already, there were signs of life; tendrils of smoke rising into the morning air and the animals anxiously awaiting their breakfast.
Malachi was just getting breakfast started, but Evie was still hungry. She was always hungry these days, even when she’d eaten her fill she still wanted more. What was worse was the fact that she couldn’t eat the many things she craved; foods from her childhood, or junk food like Wendy’s chocolate frostees and Krispy Kreme donuts. It was probably for the best, anyway. After grabbing a container of trailmix and dressing warmly, she decided to go check a few of the traps they’d laid out two nights prior. Evie doubted there’d be much in the way of small game in them, given how cold it had gotten and how suddenly, but rabbit sounded excellent right then.
She caught the sight of the man sorting through the nails before he saw her and smiled to herself, recognizing him instantly.
“Missed you at drum circle last night!” she called out, using the container of trailmix as a rattle and giving it a good shake before clapping it to her hip in three sharp taps. Leo looked up at her, smiling some as he righted himself. He wasn’t so much startled as he was surprised at his sudden company.
“Yeah... I’m not really a drum circle kinda guy,” Leo confessed with a smirk. “Where you headin’ off to?”
“Just a little morning walk,” Evie replied, her voice relaxed. “Can’t just sit in my van all day. Although I’m starting to think maybe we headed north a little too early. If it keeps being cold like this, we might just head back to Mexico for another month and make all of ya wait.”
“Shit,” he mused, “take me with you. I’ve had about all I can take of winter.” Leo was joking about leaving the farmstead of course, but what he wouldn’t give to be baking in the sun right now. It made him all the more aware of how cold it was, the power of suggestion making his fingers ache like hell. He flexed his gloved hands and glanced over Evie’s shoulder.
Evie’s smile lengthened. “Might just. I could always use another set of eyes and strong arms out on the road. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how helpful you were in Fresno.”
“Wish I coulda done more.” Leo smiled lightly, recalling those few days when a part of him had wanted to stay with the Traders. They were well organized and safe -it would have been far simpler- but he had been so driven to relocate Alice. “If it weren’t for you I never would have caught up with these guys.”
Evie shrugged a shoulder and smiled. Even though it would be nice to get another number to their caravan, she had to admit that reuniting people felt good. There was so little opportunity for that kind of joy left in the world.
“Things are good for you here though, yeah?” she asked, tilting her head a little and giving him a studying look. “You were mighty worried there for a spell, if I remember right. They treatin’ you well? No grudges, no keeping you under lock-and-key?”
“Yeah, I’ve got no complaints,” he answered easily with a half-shrug of his own. “Things were hard at first. Really fuckin’ complicated. But better than I expected.” A lot better, since Leo had wholly expected to be kicked out on his ass upon returning. It all seemed like a long time ago, and uncertain as to whether or not that was a good thing, Leo stared at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. “Tom’s in charge, and he doesn’t seem to have a problem with me. That’s all that matters. Him and Alice.”
“So long as they don’t got you jailed up,” Evie said with a slow nod. “Petty theft and angry dads are a thing of the past. They should be glad you know what the hell you’re doin’.”
There was a subtle shift in his expression at the mention of his past; a past which he still hadn’t shared with many here at the farm. What he had told Evie of his history, in passing, was only half truth. Leo lifted his hands to the sides, open palmed, and gave Evie a small half-grin. “Free as a bird. What about you? I’m sure they’re glad you know what the hell you’re doin’. You guys come wagon-training in with cigarettes and... fuckin’ trail mix. You’ve really got your shit together, huh?”
Evie laughed loud and hard. “Hey, when I played Oregon Trail back in grade school, I played to win. Guess I picked up a few things along the way.”
The guard tower was just tall enough at that point in the building process that it provided a good deal of visual obstruction. She’d come up with a wheel barrel full of supplies from the garage that Derek had sent her out with. Hearing Leo talk with the trader’s leader stopped her in her tracks. She felt guilt at eavesdropping for all of ten seconds until the panic settled. Leo wanted to leave. He wanted to leave. She almost didn’t hear anything that came after until she heard the comment about jail, which derailed her entirely. Petty theft and angry dads? Anger sent heat into her face. How was it that Evie knew more about the reason Leo got put in jail in the first place and she didn’t?
Leo grinned outright at having made Evie laugh the way she did. It was flattering to have been the source of such emotion. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and wiped at the corner of his mouth, but the expression still lingered.
“Bet you had to ford some rivers and everything.”
Evie’s eyes flicked down his front, then up to his face again with a slow smile. “If that’s what they call it now, then yes.”
The obvious pause between the sentences followed by the tone was enough to put movement into Alice’s feet. She came around just behind Evie, barely resisting the urge to clear her throat pointedly as she set the wheelbarrow down.
“Mornin’.”
Having his ego stroked by Evie’s advances, Leo had a hard time resisting. The flirty smirk that he’d managed, out of sheer reflex, was dashed in an instant at the sight of Alice.
“Alice, hey.” His gaze shifted between the two women. Did she hear Evie just now? Had she seen his face? Beyond uncomfortable, Leo put his hands back in his pockets and found himself unable to meet Alice’s eyes.
Evie’s reaction was completely nonchalant, and she offered the other woman a cheery smile. “G’morning,” she said. “Well, I better get back to my walk, you’ve distracted me enough. Seeya later, Leo.”
It took all of Alice’s energy not to purposefully trip her as she started trodding off.
“Yeah,” Leo barely managed. “Later.” He glanced up to see that she was actually leaving and once she was gone he relaxed a little.
“You come out here to help me?” he asked up at Alice with a small but genuine smile.
Alice fixed him with a glare, then turned around on her heels and started heading back toward the house.
“Shit,” he muttered to himself, running his gloved fingers along the sides of his hat before he jerked his hands down to his side. A half-second later, he was jogging after her.
“Alice, wait!”
“I can’t even deal with this right now,” she said, her voice rising in volume with every word. “I can’t even deal with this right now!”
“Deal with what? Alice, just stop for a second--” Leo caught hold of her wrist and tried to lull her to a stop, which she immediately countered by yanking her wrist out of his grasp and turning on him wildly.
“DO NOT fuckin’ grab me!” she shouted, her whole body starting to shake. In mere seconds, she was suddenly back in her room again, Jed grabbing her, shouting at her, hurt and hate and betrayal coursing through her veins. “Why the fuck come back if you’re already plannin’ to fuckin’ leave me again!”
Her words --the pain in them, the rising volume-- made Leo flinch. He glanced around, certain that others would hear and come crawling out of their quiet places. “What?!” The question was purposefully hushed as it was pointed. “Leave you again? Where the fuck would I go? What are you talking about?”
She laughed bitterly, hands coming up and through her hair before she threw one the direction Evie walked off in. “I heard you! I heard you ask to go with her! I heard her flirting with you!”
“I wasn’t being serious! I was only making conversation.” Despite being cold just a little while ago, Leo felt hot as hell now. He yanked off his hat and stuffed it in his pocket, wiping dark hair away from his brow with the back of his wrist. “Just because she flirted with me doesn’t mean we were on our way to go fuck in one a her hippie tents. Christ.”
Evie had flirted with Jed though, too. Alice remembered Jed’s eyes lighting up, remembered how he’d been so easy to want to be alone with her. Her blood continued to boil. “The way she knows you, what’s t’say you haven’t, huh?” she asked, her voice suddenly half the volume as she stepped in close. “Or that you haven’t considered it? How do I even know, huh? Huh?”
“The way she knows me? I only met her once before now!” He defended himself without missing a beat, but the passion behind Alice’s accusation damn near confused him. Had he considered it? Leo squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had to stay rational. “Look. I travel up the entire goddamn country, halfway starve myself to death trying to find you, I get you to fall back in love with me and then decide to hook up with some pregnant old lady. What the fuck kinda sense does that make, Alice?”
He was so quick with his defense that Alice didn’t know if it was premeditated or that he was just quick. Her head hurt and her heart felt like it was beating too fast.
“You left hours after they did,” she said fiercely. “You couldda been with them the whole time. You could be lyin’ t’me right now. How would I even know? Jared made me care for him, too.” Angry tears filled her eyes. “So help me God, if you are--”
Mentioning Jared --comparing them-- Alice might as well have socked Leo in the gut. He felt a sickness welling at the pit of his stomach, a wave of guilt that quickly manifested into anger. “I’m not like Jared,” he spat defensively, too defensively, because he was so very much like Jared it was frightening. Leo set his jaw and looked off to the side, suddenly more aware of the cold winds that raced between them as he regained his composure. “And I’m not lyin’ to you.” His voice fell flat, a guise to hide the hurt that lingered after that fleeting anger. “I don’t know what else to say other than that. You either trust me or you don’t.”
“And how’m I supposed to trust you when you go joking about leaving and flirting with another fucking woman!?” she cried, the tears finally spilling over. “Is it just not a big fuckin’ deal when I can’t hear you!? I’ve told you everything there is ‘bout me and you just-- you just-- threw it out like I didn’t matter at the drop of a hat ‘cuz you got scared, and I’m s’pose to just pretend it didn’t happen!? It happened! If you left me again, I’d--” she could hear herself breaking down, the ache in her chest exploding into a livid, angry, open wound. “How can-- you even-- joke about it? Part of me died when you left and I l-love you so mu-uch I couldn’t-- I couldn’t--”
Alice’s tears had always been his biggest weakness, and this time was no different. Whatever foundation he’d built on his own vindications started crumbling until he was left with nothing but a pit of boggy, guilt-sodden quicksand. Her anguish nearly brought him to his knees. She had every right to doubt him. Every reason.
“Alice,” he pleaded, nothing left in his expression but worry. “Don’t cry.” At the risk of being shoved away, he reached up to rest his hands on her shoulders. She immediately embraced him, her arms tightening around him desperately. “I told you I was sorry. Over and over, I told you, until you made me stop.” He held her close and buried his fingers in her hair. “You know I’d do anything to take back what I did. What do I have to do? Tell me. I’ll do fuckin’ anything.”
Alice pressed her face into his neck, fighting the sobs back, her chest heaving with every breath. He was so close that she could feel the heat of his breath as he spoke into her ear. She had told him to stop. And somewhere, the small logical voice in her head reminded her of what he told her about why he left and how much it killed him to do so. It had been a mistake. Everyone was allowed to make mistakes; that was the human condition. Self-loathing fought the terror back. Is this all you are now? Nothing without a man? You’re weak.
I never claimed to be strong to begin with, she mentally argued, her hands twisting up in the fabric of his jacket. There wasn’t anything either of them could to do change the past; they could only go forward with the foresight not to make the same mistakes again.
“I just wanna be with you,” she said in a pathetic voice. “Wherever you go, whatever happens, I just wanna be with you. I love you so much. I don’t wanna live without you.”
“I know. I love you,” his answer was quiet and reassuring. He pulled away just enough so that he could look into her eyes, one hand coming up to wipe away the tears from her left cheek, his gloves soft and cold. “There’s nothing that can tear me away from you.” I just wish you’d believe me.
Alice’s eyes scanned rapidly between his as she tried to pull all the conviction out of his words. The betrayal of his flirting still felt too fresh, so much so that part of her demanded physical reassurance just as much as the words. She pressed her lips to his, her kiss both demanding and needy at the same time, one hand moving up to the back of his head almost as if to hold him there.
As much as Alice needed a physical reminder of his love, Leo needed one of hers. He fervently returned the kiss, holding her ever tighter in his embrace. The press of both their mouths and bodies made it difficult to breathe, which cut the kiss much shorter than she would have liked. The cold air burning her lungs when she inhaled. What she really wanted right then was more, but she knew it was bordering on unreasonable. There were things to do and she’d already distracted him enough.
God, I hate that woman, she thought, her eyes turning over Leo’s shoulder in the direction Evie had walked off. How dare she? How dare she even try to take my man?
The flicker of possessiveness surprised her, and her eyes moved up to Leo’s again. A small, selfish part of her wanted to ask him to commit aloud to her, but she was so scared. It had failed her before. He’s not Jed, she tried to convince herself. He’s not. He won’t react the same way. He loves me. He wants to be with me. But the fear refused to be convinced otherwise. She took a shaky breath, pushing the words away.
“I’m--” she started, then bit the next word back. He wouldn’t want to hear an apology. “I just-- I can’t stand the idea of you with anyone else. I’d kill the bitch.”
Leo couldn’t help himself: Alice’s brutal statement made him snort out a laugh. “Ssh,” he grinned and ducked his head a little, giving her shoulders a squeeze. “Jesus, Alice.”
She scowled slightly at the laugh, but his smile and the squeeze chased off the irritation. The arm at his neck moved back around him and she tightened her embrace a little more. “I would. You’re mine, dammit.” Not Jack’s, not Evie’s, nobody else’s but mine.
“Damn straight,” he leaned in and murmured against her hair. Not only did he not mind this newly discovered possessive quality, he found it sexy. He’d never been claimed before, except by the Sevens, and that was all against his will for the most part. His hands drifted down to her lower back so that he could pull her hips against his as he kissed her just under her ear.
The little gesture was enough to make her sensible side waver, if only for a moment, but to appease it she turned and nipped the underside of his jaw slightly, drawing a sharp breath from him. She wanted to mark him up, to at least put some sort of claim on him that everyone would be able to see since there was no other visual representation.
Later, she told herself, then spoke the word aloud for him. “Later I’m gonna make you remember just how much. You think about that while you’re workin’ today. Everyone’s gonna know, without a single doubt, y’hear me?”
“Yeah, I got it,” he smirked, albeit somewhat deviously. He cast a resentful glare toward the watchtower that he was supposed to be working on before his eyes settled on Alice’s again. Then his eyebrows quirked up and he gave her the saddest puppy-dog look he could muster, apparently taking his lessons from Walker. “Do we gotta wait ‘til later?”
God, she wanted him. Every instinct demanded she fulfill that need, the insatiable hunger to claim him.
“Better hurry, then,” she replied, her hands moving to grab his ass before she forced herself to pull away. “I don’t like waiting.”